Title: Names Are Music And So Are You And I
Author: Anders Wennerström
Publisher: XlibrisUK
ISBN: 978-1514493786
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 48

Reviewed by: Beth Adams

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Anders Wennerström takes the reader 180 degrees from what is anticipated to a rant of misdirected anger in his book titled Names Are Music And So Are You And I.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me,” is a childish reply to the bullying or name calling youths often use. Wennerström takes this name calling to the limit with poem after poem, done without rhyme nor foot beat, using vulgarity and insults. The punch after punch of insults made it a distraction to read. Perhaps this is what the author is calling “Music,” but I don’t see the point in it. I feel the book is being written as retaliation to the names being used in an old political event and into the process and expense of publishing to reveal to the world the embarrassment which has escalated into such rants.

Over the past decades, defamation has been used in many ways. The comic genius Don Rickles based his style on poking fun at people, with a very funny use of observations of character traits – all in good humor, I might add. The popular “Roasts” of celebrities are also a spin-off from this genre of humor based insults. The point here is that I see no humor in the name calling and insults used in this book.

Not only is the name calling difficult to read, but also the Swedish translation or use of language makes for an awkward structure. All in all this book is very confusing do to the excessive rants and strong language; only the people mentioned in the book would be effected by it. If Names Are Music And So Are You And I was rated by the movie industry, it would be “R” due to language. If the author had more of a healthy balance of everything written rather than a book filled with anger, this would have been easier to have read and not so in your face. I think the author is definitely trying to provoke a certain emotion in his book; which he certainly accomplished, however I do believe if Wennerström toned down some of his rhetoric this book would be more powerful and his points would be used more effectively for the reader to understand. Names Are Music And So Are You And I Is definitely a provocative book, but not necessarily in a good way.

Content Warning: This book contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children).